Heater construction



HEATER CONSTRUCTION Filed 061;. 10, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet VENTOR. BY 64 17 ATT GRNEY.

@ gm WALTER HEATER CONSTRUCTION Filed 00%.

19 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 LA'O/MWILTER V IN ENTOR BY /4 1 ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 9, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an improved heater construction and has forone of its principal objects the provision of means for economicallyproducing an efficient, sturdy and eliicient device which may bethermostatically or manually operated. The present invention is acontinuation in part of my co-pending application Ser. No. 523,826,filed February 25, 1944, which matured into Patent No. 2,391,111.

Another object of advantage and importance of the present inventionresides in the provision of means for evenly distributing heat from thecentrally located heating means over substantially the entire floorsurface of the unit. Moreover the heat conducting means are arranged tolessen turbulance and eddies in air currents passing through the unit.

A still further object of advantage and importance is the provision ofmeans for locating the improved heating unit within a cabinet andutilizing the discharge from the unit for aspirating air through thecabinet, The air circulated through the cabinet picks up heat from theexterior of the unit and tends to maintain the cabinet Walls cool.

A further object of importance is the provision of means for inducingair from two levels into the unit for conditioning and discharging theconditioned air at a level intermediate the first two levels to therebydecrease or totally eliminate stratas of varying temperatures.

An additional object of advantage of the improved device of thisinvention is the provision of means for directing entering airdownwardly into a centrally located heating and mixing chamber andthence upwardly and along the walls of the unit and through thedischarge passage. While the substantially funnel-shaped memberpositioned between the entrance and the mixing chamber aids greatly indirecting and controlling the flow of air through the unit, the unit maybe operated, but less efficiently, without the member.

Additional objects of advantage and importance will become apparent asthe following detailed description progresses, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings wherein,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a heater which embodies the invention.

Fig. 2 is atop plan view of the device.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3--3 of Fig. l, and looking inthe direction indicated by the arrows, and

Fig. 4 is a similar view taken on line 44 of Fig. 1 also looking in thedirection indicated by the arrows.

The reference numeral it indicates generally the body of the improvedheater of this invention. In the preferred construction of the devicethe body IB is cylindrical and the top end thereof has an aperturedclosure 52 affixed there to and the bottom end is provided with aceramic or other refractory floor member l t. The closure member 12 iscentrally apertured, as is best shown in Fig. l, and the edges of theaperture are turned upwardly to form an annular flange [6. Fixed to theannular flange it as by welding or the like is an inlet pipe l8.

Carried by the ceramic floor member I 4 is a heating element 213 whichis preferably enclosed in a casing member 21. The heating element 20here shown comprises a single core upon which a high resistanceconductor 23 is wound. However it will be apparent that any suitableelement or plurality of elements may be substituted for the one shown.Power for the heating element 28 may be supplied through conductors 24indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. The conductors 24 are adaptedto be encased in a conduit 25 or the like positioned beneath the heater2B and iloor member 14.

Extending radially from the casing member 2! is a plurality of heatconducting fins 26. The fins 25 are constructed of a good heatconducting metal and are preferably bonded to the casing member. Thenumber of fins employed in any single structure may be increased ordecreased as desired or required.

Positioned adjacent the top closure I2 and secured to the walls of thebody In is an apertured member 30. The apertured member 3!), which issubstantially in the form of a truncated cone, divides the interior ofthe body It into an upper chamber 32 and a lower or mixin chamber 34.

Formed in the wall of the body I!) closely adjacent and beneath thepoint at which the apertured member 30 is amxed is a discharge opening36. The discharge opening 36 is provided with a nozzle 38 which projectsradially from the surface of the body it.

The entire structure thus far described is adapted to be positionedwithin a cabinet lit which in the preferred embodiment may be con"structed of sheet metal or other suitable material. Where it is sodesired insulation, not shown, may be provided for the interior of thecabinet to and also for the exterior of the body Hi.

The cabinet is preferably rectangular in shape and is provided with afloor 62 which is adapted to support the body H3 as is best shown inFig. 1. Secured to the top of the cabinet M is a centrally aperturedclosure member 43. The aperture in the closure member :33 is providedwith a collar into which the inlet pipe 18 is telescoped. The upperportion of the collar .5 has attached thereto apower blower 46 as isclearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Electrical energy for operating theblower 46 may be supplied from a suitable source.

Formed in one wall of the cabinet at and in alignment with the dischargenozzle 38 is an outlet opening 68. The opening 48 may be provided withan outlet duct 50 which is secured in place by any suitable means. It isto be noted that the outlet opening 48 is spaced from and is of greaterdiameter than the outlet of the nozzle 38 for a purpose hereinafter morefully disclosed. Formed in the walls of the cabinet closely adjacent thefloor member 42 is a plurality of apertures 52. The apertures 52 providean inlet so that air may be drawn into the cabinet lil when the unit isin operation. Suitable legs or feet 54 are provided at the base of thecabinet it as is best shown in Fig. 1.

Where it is so desired the power means for the blower 46 and the heaterelement 25 may be connected in series and thereby controlled by a singleswitch either manually or thermostatically operated. Under suchconditions when the switch is closed the heater is energized and theblower started. The blower 46 functions to force air downwardly throughthe inlet pipe 13 and into the upper chamber 32 and thence through thefunnel shaped member 39 into the mixing chamber 34. The air enteringthis chamber 1S forced downwardly toward the heater 20 and fins 26 wherein absorbing the heat it is forced outwardly and upwardly toward theupper portion of the mixing chamber 34. As the upwardly flowing heatedair nears the funnel shaped member 38 it is deflected outwardly andthrough the outlet aperture 36 and nozzle 38 thence through the largeroutlet 48 and duct 50. The flow of air from the nozzle 38 to the duct 59sets up an aspirating action which draws air within the cabinet at inthe direction of the arrows shown adjacent the outlet 48 and passes itfrom the cabinet lll with the heated air. Thus warm air within thecabinet is mixed with and discharged in the stream of heated airdelivered to the space being heated. In this manner a considerablygreater volume of conditioned air is delivered through the outlet 50than is passed through the inlet i8. Moreover the aspirating elTectdraws air from a level adjacent the floor and the inlet of the blower 46draws air from a much higher level and the delivery of conditioned airbeing intermediate the two inlets a condition is created which tends toeliminate or greatly reduce stratified heating. Thus the improved devicetends to create and maintain a substantially uniform tem- .perature atall levels within the space bein heated.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the deviceappertains that numerous details of construction and design may bealtered and changed without departing from the spirit or scope of theinvention. Accordingly the pat ent granted hereon is not to be limitedto the preferred embodiment here shown or in any other manner except asis necessitated by the terminology of the appended claims when giVen therange of equivalents to which they may be entitled.

I claim as my invention:

1. Aportable heater comprisin a cabinet, a cylindrical member positionedwithin said cabinet, a duct providing inlet means extending through saidcabinet and into the interior of said cylindrical member, means adjacentthe base of said cabinet for admitting air into the interior thereof,separate discharge means for said cylindrical member and said cabinetpositioned intermediate said inlet means, said separate discharge meansbeing disposed to prevent a flow of air from said cabinet into saidcylindrical member when the heater is in operation, power.

means for causing air to flow into said inlet means and outwardlythrough said outlet means, and means for heating said flowing airintermediate said inlet and said outlet.

2. A portable heater comprising, a cabinet having inlet and outletopenings adjacent opposed ends thereof, a cylindrical member havinginlet and outlet openings adjacent one end thereof and positioned withinsaid cabinet, means for forcing air through said cylindrical member, theoutlet opening of said cylindrical member being disposed in alignmentwith and spaced from the outlet of said cabinet to aspirate air fromsaid cabinet when air is forced through the outlet of said cylindricalmember, and means for heating the air as it passes through saidcylindrical member.

3. A portable heater, comprising, a closed cabinet having inlet andoutlet openings therein, said inlet openings being positioned near thelower portion of said cabinet, a cylindrical member havin inlet andoutlet openings therein vertically disposed within said cabinet, theinlet in said cylindrical member extending through the upper endthereof, a duct secured to said cylindrical member and providing acontinuation for the outlet therein, said duct being in alignment withand spaced from th outlet of said cabinet, means for circulating airthrough said inlet and outlet openings in said cabinet and saidcylindrical member, and means for heating air as it passes through saidcylindrical member.

4. A portable heater, comprising, a vertically disposed cylindricalmember having closed ends, an inlet formed in the upper end of saidcylindrical member, an outlet formed in the peripheral wall of saidcylindrical member intermediate the ends thereof, power means associatedwith said inlet for forcing air into said cylindrical member andoutwardly through said outlet, means for heating said air as it passesthrough said cylindrical member, a closed cabinet encasing saidcylindrical member, the top and sidewalls of said cabinet being spacedfrom like walls of said cylindrical member, said cabinet being aperturedadjacent the lower portion and the intermediate portion to permit a flowof air therethrough, and the aperture in the intermediate portion ofsaid cabinet being in alignment with the outlet of said cylindricalmember whereby the discharge of air from the cylindrical memberaspirates air through the space between the walls of said cylindricalmember and said cabinet.

5. A portable heater, comprising, a hollow heat transfer member having aclosed end and an inlet and an outlet at the other end portion thereof,means for forcing air through said member, means secured to theclosedend of said member for heating the air within said member, a cabi-- netencasing said heat transfer member, said cabinet having inlet and outletopenings, the outlets in said member and said cabinet being disposed toaspirate air through said cabinet when the means for forcing air throughthe member is in operation.

6. A portable heater, comprising, a hollow heat transfer member having aclosed lower end and an inlet and an outlet at the upper end portionthereof, means for forcing air downwardly into said member, meansincluding a heating element having radially extending fins secured tothe closed lower end for heating and reversing the direction of new ofthe air within said member, a cabinet encasing said heat transfermember,

let in said cabinet being in alignment to provide an aspirating actionfor passing air through said cabinet when the means for forcing airdownwardly into the heat transfer member is in operation.

7. In a portable heater, a hollow heat transfer member having an inletand an outlet at one end portion thereof, means for forcing air intosaid member, and means for heating the air within said member, saidmeans including an electric actuated thermal element positioned withinsaid member at the opposite end thereof, means encasing said element toprotect it from the air passing through said member, and meansassociated with said encasing means and extend- 6 ing radially therefromfor disseminating heat generated by said thermal element and assistingin causing the heated air to flow toward the first named end portion.

LEO N. WALTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,316,161 Karg Sept. 16, 19191,394,667 Corbin Oct. 25, 1921 1,416,601 Boone May 16, 1922 1,707,554Hendry Apr. 2, 1929 1,754,232 Fisher Apr. 15, 1930 2,391,111 Walter .1.Dec. 18, 1945

